1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting abnormality in the spinal column, and more particularly to such apparatus for detecting a spinal abnormality such as lateral spinal curvature or scoliosis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally abnormalities in the spinal column such as lateral spinal curvature are detected, not only by visual inspection or probing by a doctor, but also either by a moire method in which the body surface, particularly the back, of an inspected person is illuminated with light through two gratings and the unbalance in the configuration of the body of the inspected person is detected through the interference pattern formed on the body surface, or by a low X-ray method in which the inspected person is irradiated with a low X-ray to directly photograph the spinal column. However, in any of these methods, the detection requires experience, and objective data are difficult to obtain because of fluctuations in diagnoses by the diagnosing persons, as consistent diagnoses of many persons in a consecutive manner is difficult to achieve. In addition, the moire method, requiring large equipment, lacks mobility and is therefore unsuitable for collective diagnosis for example of children in a school, while the X-ray photographing method requires expensive equipment and poses a problem of exposure to X-ray in children.